Reforming the Queen of Snooze

I loooove sleeping. I try to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, 8 if possible. When I left my job, I was getting pretty good at waking up early so I could get stuff done AND enjoy some peace and quiet, all before humans and animals woke up.

A couple months into it, I started slacking and "sleeping in". With a toddler, sleeping in really isn't as fabulous as it sounds. :) Regardless, I was hitting snooze so often that it's a good thing my husband is a deep sleeper otherwise he would have been pretty annoyed with my phone's rooster noises. Every 5 minutes. for 30 - 45 minutes. Oopsy.

I could not get myself to stop with the snooze button!! Even though it didn't make me feel more rested and in the end made me feel more stressed. I wasn't getting my quiet time and I wasn't getting a jump on anything, so I felt so behind in my day by 7 AM! Worst of all, sometimes coffee didn't get made. I know.

And then along comes MoneySavingMom.com, who announces over the weekend that she'll be starting a new three-week challenge: Make the Most Out of Your Mornings. It's like she's a mind reader.

Like all her challenges, she gives you daily motivation, tips, and then "homework". It's all meant to help you work on meeting the challenge goals. It's a great way to take baby steps towards, uhh, making the most of your mornings. :)

Yesterday was Day 3 of the challenge, so here's a quick recap:

Day 1: The challenge kick-off and introduction. Get excited to wake up early, people!

Day 2: I call this one Getting Your Beep Together the Night Before. Which seems like an obvious thing to do, but during my "sleeping in" days I was usually leaving things in disorder at night. I wasn't giving my morning self a jump on the day, which was making my mornings even more hectic and stressful. Blech. So Day 2 walks you through choosing a bed time for yourself, and creating a list of five things to do every night before bed. And making a commitment to stick to the bed time and 5-things for the next three weeks. So here are mine:

Bed time: 10:00 (trying to be in bed by 9:30 to read)
5 To-dos before bed: Prep Zach's lunch, Put kitchen in order, Tidy up living room, Kitty litter, Read

Day 3: "Getting Out of Bed On the Right Foot". Get out of bed at the same time every day, and don't hit snooze. Gulp. Being the queen of the snooze button, this is a toughie for me. BUT, this is a challenge and I can't fail! So I pledge to wake up at 6 AM for the next three weeks. I'm going to try some 5:45 AM test runs to start with because in the end I'd like to wake up even earlier. I'm going to put my alarm clock (aka my phone) far enough away from me that I have to get up to turn it off. Gulp again. I'm going to do this so I can make coffee asap and enjoy some peace and quiet. That is my motivation!

Today is Day 4 of the challenge, and I'm excited to see what it brings! Crystal at MoneySavingMom.com posts her challenge updates at 1 PM Eastern, and I look forward to each new post. It's so nice to have a sort of "coach" help me improve something that I truly want to improve!

So far the most difficult part of the challenge has been my daughter. She has also signed up for this challenge, because this week she's been waking up much earlier than normal! Today I heard her wake up at 6:15 and had to get her at 6:45. I feel like my early-morning challenge is being thwarted by this little stinker. I'm hoping this is a temporary trend and that she eventually goes back to her 7:30 (on average) wake-up time. Pleeeeeeeeease go back to your 7:30 wake-up time, Annabel!!!

My Routine: Ready for Prime Time

A month ago, I talked about my efforts to create and try out a routine for my new life as a homemaker. After a month of running my routine pilot, I'm happy to say that it's now in production!

The core of my routine is almost identical to the original, with a few tweaks. The biggest change was in my morning routine. I'm a YMCA member, and had an epiphany a couple weeks ago:

a) As a Y member, I get free child care
b) The Y has some nice showers and changing areas
c) The Y has tasty free coffee
d) The nice Y child care ladies will watch Annabel for me, allowing her to have fun with some other kiddos while I work out, take a shower, maybe even dry my hair!!!, and grab some coffee.
e) NICE

As a result, the routine now looks like this:

Morning routine

• 6:00 Wake up time – Em
• Get dressed for YMCA
• Coffee + breakfast
• Start a load of laundry
• Make Zach's lunch
• 7:15 Wake up time – Annabel
• 8:00 Breakfast - Annabel
• Switch laundry to dryer
• YMCA
• Errands OR fun time

Afternoon routine

• 11:30 Lunch – Annabel
• 11:45 Nap – Annabel
• Fold laundry
• Clean up kitchen
• Straighten bathrooms & bedrooms
• Cleaning task
• 2:00 Wake up – Annabel
• Fun time!

Evening routine

• 5:30 Dinner
• Clean up kitchen
• 7:30 Bed time – Annabel
• 10-minute house pickup
• Scoop kitty litter
• Read
• 10:00 Bed time – Em

And I keep reminding myself that (as Crystal from MoneySavingMom.com says) the routine "is not a regimented schedule with detailed time blocks for how you’re supposed to spend every minute of every day." This is pretty critical for maintaining sanity, since things do not always flow according to my nicely bulleted list. :)

My Routine: Pilot Status Check

I'm on day 3, and still enjoying my new routine! Much more than Annabel enjoys mowing the sidewalk. :D

Some minor tweaks here and there, but the core elements are still there. And I have to admit that even though I'm doing it all digitally at the moment, crossing things of the list has been reeeeeeally satisfying!

Since things are going so well, I need to get a new pilot going... so food is next. More to come on that!

In the meantime, here's where I'm at so far for the day:

Morning routine

• 6:00 Wake up time – Em
• Shower, get dressed
• Coffee
• Start a load of laundry
• Make Zach's lunch
• 7:15 Wake up time – Annabel
• 8:00 Breakfast
• Switch laundry to dryer
• Fun time!

Afternoon routine

• 11:00 Lunch – Annabel
• Fold laundry
• 11:30 Nap – Annabel (12:15)
• 12:00 Lunch – Em
• Clean up kitchen
• Straighten bathrooms & bedrooms
• Cleaning task (Sweep wood floor, dust first floor, clean kitchen garbage can, + made pancakes)
• 2:00 Wake up – Annabel
• Fun time!

Evening routine

• 5:30 Dinner
• Clean up kitchen
• 7:30 Bed time – Annabel
• 10-minute house pickup
• Scoop kitty litter
• Read
• 10:00 Bed time – Em

And for my cleaning routine tasks:

Weekly cleaning tasks	Monthly cleaning tasks	Quarterly cleaning tasks
Clean toilets Wipe bathroom sinks/counters Clean bathroom floors Clean bathtubs + shower Sweep wood floor Vacuum first floor Vacuum second floor Vacuum stairs Dust first floor (basic) Dust second floor (basic) Wash sheets Wash towels	Clean refrigerator Clean microwave Full kitchen counter wipe First floor windows Second floor windows Purse / diaper bag reorg Clean kitchen garbage can Wash bath rugs Wash comforter Mop wood floor	Change air filter Wash pillow cases Wash couch cover Clean oven Vacuum mattresses

My Routine Update + Cleaning Routine Addition

My Routine: Pilot Status Check

So far, so good! I loved having the routine as my guide; I felt like I got so much done today, and still had fun time to enjoy with Annabel. Even though I do love sleeping in, it actually felt so much better to get up early and have time to myself. It was so relaxing! Who knew?? Maybe the best part: I was able to drink an entire mug of coffee. Without interruption. Le sigh.

I didn't do everything in the exact order of my routine, but as Crystal from MoneySavingMom.com says, that is OK! And it's the reason why it's a routine and not a schedule.

This morning I was thinking about this whole effort: researching, testing, and implementing a new routine. And the fact that it probably sounds silly to some people, because sometimes I think it's silly. Shouldn't I be able to just know what to do when?! Is this a whole lot of work for nothing??

But then I remind myself of the same thing I wrong about in my post on 27 April; I tend to overwhelm myself with the amount of things I want to get done. If I only have a mental to-do list, my brain kicks into overdrive and my stress levels shoot through the roof!

Also, in my corporate work life I loved having a list of things to do, because nothing feels better than crossing something off that list. And thanks to the test run today, I now know the same holds true for my stay-at-home life! I loved crossing things off my routine as I got them done.

The pilot continues...

Cleaning Routine

Meanwhile, yesterday I decided that I'd start mocking up a cleaning routine as well. Which reminded me of a great blog I found while Pinteresting (is that a real word yet?) months ago. And specifically, of a cleaning routine idea on said blog.

Said blog is iHeart Organizing, which I have yet to explore in detail. But I can attest to the fact that her Cleaning Routine idea is great. It's exactly the kind of cleaning routine style I like, with daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual cleaning tasks to check off. I decided not to use her exact list, but instead used it as a starting point and then edited it a bit. I'm guessing it'll be edited even more as I put it to use!

Here are my tasks so far. I decided to start with weekly, monthly, and quarterly:

Weekly cleaning tasks	Monthly cleaning tasks	Quarterly cleaning tasks
Clean toilets Wipe bathroom sinks/counters Clean bathroom floors Clean bathtubs + shower Sweep wood floor Vacuum first floor Vacuum second floor Vacuum stairs Dust first floor (basic) Dust second floor (basic) Wash sheets Wash towels	Clean refrigerator Clean microwave Full kitchen counter wipe First floor windows Second floor windows Purse / diaper bag reorg Clean kitchen garbage can Wash bath rugs Wash comforter	Change air filter Wash pillow cases Wash couch cover Clean oven Vacuum mattresses

End-of-Day Results

Crystal from MoneySavingMom.com bravely posts what she gets done per day, so maybe I will too?? I'm feeling pretty brave today anyway, so here 'tis:

Morning routine

• 6:00 Wake up time – Em
• Shower, get dressed
• Coffee
• Start a load of laundry
• Make Zach's lunch (N/A)
• 7:15 Wake up time – Annabel (8:15)
• 8:00 Breakfast
• Switch laundry to dryer
• Fun time!

Afternoon routine

• 11:00 Lunch – Annabel
• Fold laundry
• 11:30 Nap – Annabel (12:15)
• 12:00 Lunch – Em
• Clean up kitchen
• Straighten bathrooms & bedrooms
• Cleaning task
• 2:00 Wake up – Annabel
• Fun time!

Evening routine

• 5:30 Dinner
• Clean up kitchen
• 7:30 Bed time – Annabel
• 10-minute house pickup
• Scoop kitty litter
• Read
• 10:00 Bed time – Em

For my cleaning task time slot, I was able to cross off FOUR weekly cleaning tasks! Yeah, I'm still in the overexuberant stage.

• Clean toilets
  
• Wipe bathroom sinks/counters
• Wash sheets 
• Wash towels

We'll see how the rest of the week goes!!

Now I'm off to do the 10-minute house pickup, kitty litter scoopin', then a good book is calling my name...

My New Routine: A Pilot

In my corporate life, many of my projects started off with "pilots". You need to pilot something before you decide it's worth implementing, because you don't want thousands of unhappy clients. I only have a couple clients now (four, if you count the dog and cat), and luckily they're pretty forgiving. :) Regardless, I feel the need to pilot, so voila!

Annabel took it easy on me and napped for a looong time this afternoon. Which gave me more than enough time to do some "research" for inspiration and then to mock up a draft.

The Inspiration

A month ago I discovered MoneySavingMom.com, self described as "an upbeat and encouraging blog dedicated to helping you find great deals, stretch your hard-earned dollars, and live on less than you make so you can save more and give more. " I completely agree with the description; the mom who runs it, Crystal, does a great job of keeping it interesting, updated, easy to read, and full of useful information.

While searching around her site, I found posts about creating routines and time management, and really liked the simple approach to creating something daunting. Today, I finally read through them all from start to finish, including:

How to Develop a Routine That Works–and Stick With It! (Part 1)

How to Develop a Routine That Works–and Stick With It! (Part 2)

How to Develop a Routine That Works–and Stick With It (Part 3)

     Time Management 101: Create a Time Budget

     Time Management 101: Create a Time Budget (Part 2)

     Time Management 101: Make a Personalized Plan

How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It! (Part 4)

In a nutshell, Crystal provides "assignments" per Part that help you end up with a routine, not a schedule. And she emphasizes something that I really appreciate: the routine "is not a regimented schedule with detailed time blocks for how you’re supposed to spend every minute of every day."

To which I say, phew!!! Because I now know that life with a toddler does not allow a regimented anything. Not at all.

The only thing I decided not to pursue (at least for now) is the concept of having "envelopes of time". Like the financial envelope system, you decide how much time you want to dedicate to something and set aside that total time in a figurative envelope. Then you take time out of that envelope as you use it. It's a way to force you to use your time more wisely.

For example: By choosing to work on my blog for an hour, I now have an hour less to work on Annabel's newborn scrapbook. Guess that gets pushed out yet another day, d'oh.

Anyway, I decided that I better get my pilot completed (and marked successful!) before getting more granular with my time.

The Draft

Using Crystal's guidance, I ended up with this:

Morning routine

6:00 Wake up time – Em
Shower, get dressed
Coffee
Start a load of laundry
Make Zach's lunch
7:15 Wake up time – Annabel
8:00 Breakfast
Switch laundry to dryer
Fun time!
Afternoon routine
11:00 Lunch – Annabel
Fold laundry
11:30 Nap - Annabel
12:00 Lunch – Em
Clean up kitchen
Straighten bathrooms & bedrooms
Cleaning task
2:00 Wake up – Annabel
Fun time!
Evening routine
5:30 Dinner
Clean up kitchen
7:30 Bed time – Annabel
10-minute house pickup
Read
10:00 Bed time – Em

Time to Pilot!

I feel pretty good about this, and I plan to start it tomorrow. Normally I let myself sleep in on the weekends, but there's no better time to start than now, right?!?


Since the glorious Annabel nap kept going strong, I also decided to work on lists of cleaning tasks (note the "Cleaning task" in the Afternoon routine)... but I'll save that for tomorrow's post. Ohhh, the anticipation!! :D

A New Routine

This weekend, my plan is to work on a "pilot" schedule for myself! I know, you're on pins and needles now; try to keep the excitement in check. :D

In my corporate IT life, my weeks were chock full of regularly-scheduled meetings. I also had my usual routines: departure prep, cube morning coffee, lunch-time brown-bag lunch, afternoon wrap-up tasks. I knew when to expect my cubemates' arrivals, what directions they should be arriving from, and how they would greet me.

And as of last week, I have... no regularly scheduled meetings. No routines. No morning commute (yay!!). A cubemate who's contained to her crib until I release her. My schedule has whatever I want it to have... woah.

I get easily overwhelmed by the amount of things I'd like to get done in a day, from cleaning to crafting to toddler fun to grocery shopping... you get the idea! So I need to create a new schedule for myself.

Et voila: my weekend homework! I'll keep you posted on the results.

I'm going to be using Money Saving Mom's site as my guidance/inspiration, starting with this article. Wish me luck!!